UZAIR’S ANSWER TO AN APPRECIATED READERS QUESTION

Last week when I was dropping ground breaking knowledge to the good readers of my blog, one of my very valued subscribers asked me a question which I would like to address.

AK said:

“Uzi, What my years of knowing you and all these theories of yours have taught me about you, is that you’re all style and no substance. Buying suits, looking good, having a large savings account, and your recommended cars to purchase: BMW, BMW, Mercedes. How about advice for the rest of us who view money as a means to an ends, not the end itself. Why do I care if interest on a car is high. If I really want a car, then the value of that car to me goes beyond what it says on that MSRP sticker. If at the end of the day it costs me an extra $5000 to borrow that money from a bank over a 4 or 5 year period, so what, that car means to me more than those $5000 i could have had in the bank after those years. If at the end of my life money in = money out, and I’m happy, why do I care about the millions I could have saved up in my bank account?”

This is an excellent question but first of all let me address the “all style no substance” comment. Excuse me? I’m flattered that you think I have style, but to say I have no substance behind it is a disgusting exaggeration. I don’t just preach here and talk about my world renowned views but do the opposite in reality. No. Far from it. If anything, my theories on this site are watered down from what I actually do so others can digest the brilliance. I don’t want to brag either but the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney, took time out of his busy schedule to read to my blog (unconfirmed assumption). I’m obviously honored that he did that, I have the upmost respect for him and his genius. He read my theory of buying a house and this is what he had to say:

I don’t make this stuff up; it’s just the simple truth. Check the date too.

Also, buying suits and good fitting clothes is an investment in yourself. There is no way you can deny that dressing well and helps boost your self-esteem, makes you feel confident and positivity impacts others perceptions of you. I’m not saying you have to do it exactly how I do it, but you should try to play the game a little and try to seize any advantage you can. Not everyone is born with godly aesthetics, but just because you’re short, bald and have the body of a 15 year old Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Rejects who try to defy the game that’s being played around are actually idiots, and there is no other way to describe them. You think you’re being clever and above everyone else because you refused to get sucked in to the game of life. That’s nice, and you keep on doing that. But remember, this is standing in the middle of a basketball court and refusing to play. People will continue to play and run laps around you so wake up.

Now, not to get too off-topic let me go back to what our young and obviously naive friend AK had to say.

“Why do I care if interest on a car is high. If I really want a car, then the value of that car to me goes beyond what it says on that MSRP sticker. If at the end of the day it costs me an extra $5000 to borrow that money from a bank over a 4 or 5 year period, so what, that car means to me more than those $5000 i could have had in the bank after those years. If at the end of my life money in = money out, and I’m happy, why do I care about the millions I could have saved up in my bank account?”

This is exactly what’s wrong with society. Why should I care if the interest rate on the car is high? Would you care to have your balls in a vice? It’s the same thing. Are we just so impatient and mindless that we can’t just wait to save up that money or try and get a better deal elsewhere? Paying interest is the equivalent of buying girls drinks at the bar. You get your little feeling of goodness, where you think you might have a chance with the girl but it goes away pretty fast when she walks away with all your hopes and dreams and all you’re left with is a lighter wallet and a feeling that you just got played. Why would you want to owe someone else money, and even worse, more money then you have to? You know you’ve lost your own mind when you’re willing to owe someone money and have them literally own you just because you want to buy that car that’s a little bit nicer than the one you can comfortably afford. You’re owned by the bank and you’re owned by advertisers who tell you what you want. You have to value you’re freedom above anything else in this world and get out of the rat race of life! Everything I write about is literally about money being the means to an end, and that end being freedom and real happiness. Not saying that a large number in your Questrade account will make you happy.

And if at the end of your life, you want to be happy and money in equals money out then why would you want to accrue more debt? You know that buying something is only going to make you happy for a little while until you want the next thing in a never ending cycle. The only difference is now, now you are paying more money every month for something that doesn’t make you happy anymore! Plus financial liabilities and being tied down are the biggest enemies of happiness.

For example, let’s say you’ve taken out a sizable loan to live beyond your means and now management at your company has changed for the worse. What do you do now? You can’t quit, you’ve accustomed yourself to a certain lifestyle which you can only sustain living paycheck to paycheck. How happy are you now?

Now compare this to the contrary, you have no major loans, a sizable investment portfolio and an emergency fund. You now hate your job for whatever reason. Are you stuck? Not at all. You can pack your bags up and leave whenever you want and live a perfectly happy life. You are not tied down and you are not forced to be in a situation you hate. Sure you might not have the fastest and latest car in the neighbourhood, or a majestic home. But you sure have your sanity and the ability to enjoy what you do have. Plus you would probably appreciate the age old saying “the best things in life are free” or at least reasonably priced.

I want to celebrate a mini-milestone with everyone today. I’ve gotten over 2000 hits on my blog after my last post and an idea for my upcoming book (in 6 years)! I’ll keep you guys posted but until then expect a new post every week! So keep coming back for more knowledge to help guide your life down the only path worth walking through.